GuavaPass – One membership with tons of fitness classes at the best gyms all over town!

11 August, 2015

Spice up your fitness routine with different classes around Hong Kong.

How many times have you given up on your fitness routine out of sheer boredom? My number on that one is probably nearing triple digits. Memberships often lock you into a commitment for months and if your chosen gym gets too popular, you’re punished as classes become increasingly difficult to book. These are all the reasons why I was so interested in trying out GuavaPass, the new (to Hong Kong) service that lets you access dozens of gyms for a flat monthly rate of $899 that can be cancelled at will. The hitch – you can only go to any one gym three times in a month. Incapable of doing anything by halves, I set out to try a different class a day for a week and promptly booked myself in for each day on their easy-to-use website.

MondayI have been wanting to try MovNat since a friend first told me about it a few years back. This is the exercise version of the paleo diet, focused on crawling, swinging, jumping and balancing (aka natural movement). Held at the aptly named Playground in Wan Chai, I left after the hour feeling like a 10-year-old who’d gotten to play on the monkey bars for the first time with burning muscles and a huge smile.

TuesdayShowing my true dedication, I slept through my alarm and missed the 7 am yoga class I’d booked, which gave me the great opportunity to learn about the cancellation policy. A no show for class will automatically deduct $100 from your credit card while a booking cancellation within 12 hours is $75. Whoops. I made up for it with a trip to the spinning Mecca of Hong Kong, Torq, which pits riders against each other on an anonymous scoreboard. The class was a terrific reminder of how much I hate spinning. But if spinning is your thing (you weirdo), you’ll love the facilities and instructors here.

WednesdayI’m always inclined to go for the weirdest thing on the menu. If you haven’t heard of Hypoxi, it’s a stationary bike in an egg-shaped compression chamber designed to amp the blood flow to and target weight loss from that pesky mid section. Fitted with a neoprene skirt, I was strapped in to pedal for 30 minutes. Did it work? No clue, I’ve only been for one session so far. But other people there seemed into it and it was a nice lunchtime break to practice Spanish on my phone and take awkward selfies.

ThursdayThis was tied for my favourite day. I checked out Spark, the new MMA gym located above TOPSHOP, for a striking class. I’ve done quite a bit of boxing and assumed it would be similar. The class had a great flow of stretching, warm up circuits, pad work, bag work (that involved wailing on a dummy on the ground) and ab work in a brand new facility and with knowledgeable trainers. Just try being in a bad mood after that.

FridayRight up there with Spark was my morning barre workout at Flex in Central. Ow. Oh my God, OW. In a good way. The Pilates+ballet barre class took us through a series of plyometric and weighted exercises that left my abs and legs screaming. It was one of the best workouts I’ve ever had packed into one hour and I cannot wait to make it a part of my regular routine. I really can’t think of anything better for core strength and lengthening muscles. Saturday I had a junk and there weren’t morning classes close to my apartment, so I slept in and took my dogs for a walk. Does that count? Sunday After a beautiful morning jaunt up to high west, I was feeling pretty pooped. I had signed up for an evening yoga class but got an email and phone call early afternoon informing me it had been cancelled and I took it as a sign from the universe that I should take another day off.

I loved this service and I can’t wait to try more gyms while building some of my favourites into my regular routine. No matter what I had going on, there was something that fit into my schedule. This is a must-do for all you other busy fitness commitment-phobes. The user interface and customer service were amazing, especially for a new service and I imagine can only get better.

Get an exclusive two-week free trial at GuavaPass using the coupon code ‘sassyhkguavas‘! If you wish to continue the membership, sign up at the monthly rate of $899. If you sign up now, you’ll also get entered into a lucky draw to win a trip to Bali! Valid until Monday, 31 August, 2015.

If a sentence starts with, "Hey, want to try...", Eleni is probably in. She's a Greek-American writer who's made Hong…

If a sentence starts with, "Hey, want to try...", Eleni is probably in. She's a Greek-American writer who's made Hong Kong home for five years covering finance and public policy. She loves adventures, puppies, running, food and punching things.

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Sassy Hong Kong is the go-to guide for girls in the city that truly never sleeps. From al fresco bars and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, to secret shopping spots and special events, we pound the pavements in search of all the best Hong Kong has to offer.